Weed University: Here Are Some Places to Learn About Pot

Learning about weed has never been so uncomplicated. From traditional universities offering cannabis-niche courses, and newly founded marijuana-specific educational institutions, to weed classes taught over the Internet, the opportunity to glean insight into all things green is good news for normalization proponents, a sign of the times.

Indeed, this access to cannabis information is somewhat ironic: More than half of the United States has legalized medical or recreational marijuana programs, and consumption is going down in greater numbers than ever. But the fact remains that pot is a Schedule I drug. According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the Drug Enforcement Administration per the Controlled Substances Act, weed is still illegal AF. The federal designation means that marijuana carries zero medicinal use, a high potential for abuse, and is not an activity of a “good person.”

Though the illicit lettuce may be problematic, but the culture and business surrounding marijuana represents massive opportunity for the American worker. Currently, more than 150,000 people are estimated to be employed within the weed world. And an industry report from cannabis data analysis firm BDS Analytics pegs the legal marijuana space as capable of creating a quarter of a million jobs by 2020.

In Cleveland, Ohio, where in 2016 voters made the Buckeye State number 25 in the union to enact marijuana legislation, would-be cannabis entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, and assumedly just some friendly 420-curious midwestern moms can attend Cleveland Cannabis College for a “well rounded program that educates individuals in horticulture, history, legal, retail, activism, patient access,” according to the January 2017-opened weed-school’s website.